This report, ACSI’s 23rd annualsurvey of CEO pay in Australia’s largest listed companies, was conducted withresearch from Ownership Matters. It continues to be the benchmark longitudinalstudy into remuneration trends and outcomes including our unique ‘realised pay’data.
Key findings:
- Total realised pay has fallen. ASX100 median CEO pay fell from $3.93m to $3.87m – the lowest median in the 10 years the ACSI study has collected realised pay data. The ASX101-200 median also fell from $2.10m to $1.95m.
- CEOs are receiving consistently high bonus awards. The median ASX100 CEO in FY23 received a bonus at 66.3% of maximum (FY22: 71%) while for the ASX101-200 the median bonus outcome was 60.7% of maximum (FY22: 68%).
- Over the nine years the ACSI study has collected CEO bonus outcomes, the median bonus has been at least 60% of maximum every year for ASX100 CEOs (other than the COVID-affected FY20).
- Only two ASX100 CEOs and six ASX101-200 CEOs received zero bonus for FY23 meaning that, once again, a CEO has more chance of being terminated than missing out on a bonus (there were 24 termination payments across the full ASX200 sample in FY23).
- High realised pay outcomes for CEOs in companies listed Australia but based in the US. Resmed’s Mick Farrell again eclipsed the local talent with $47.58m (FY22: $47.14m), followed by News Corp’s Robert Thomson on $41.53m.
- The highest termination payment in FY23 was $7.61m for former CSL CEO Paul Perreault.
